Photo: New Orleans Police Department/Getty Images
An emergency dispatcher in New Orleans is accused of hanging up on multiple people calling 911.
New Orleans Police are searching for 25-year-old Precious Stephens, an operator for emergency calls in New Orleans. According to a report filed August 23, she is facing charges of malfeasance in office and interfering with an emergency communication, per KATC.
Stephens is accused of intentionally disconnecting calls for help without getting information from callers or transferring the calls to other dispatchers. She has since been fired from her job and her current whereabouts are unknown, but officers plan to arrest Stephens when she is located.
"Working as a 911 operator with the Orleans Parish Communications District at the time, she is wanted for allegedly disconnecting 911 calls deliberately without obtaining necessary emergency information or relaying such emergencies to the other dispatchers for aid," NOPD said in a statement.
Malfeasance is defined by Louisiana law as unlawfully performing a job in public service or the intentional performance of "any such duty in an unlawful manner," BET reports. It carries a potential prison sentence of up to 5 years.
Anyone with information regarding Stephens' whereabouts is encouraged to contact New Orleans Police Department Third District detectives at 504-658-6030.